NDC vs EC: Supreme Court adjourns judgment on 'controversial' new voters' register indefinitely

A seven-member Supreme Court panel presided over by the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, earlier pushed the delivery of its judgment to June 23, 2020, but the apex court has now adjourned the judgment indefinitely.

The latest ruling comes after the Supreme Court on Friday, June 19, 2020, heard a similar case and granted the request by the Attorney-General to have the two cases consolidated.

A Ghanaian citizen, Mark Takyi-Banson sued the EC excluding the current voter ID card from the upcoming registration exercise.

An application by Takyi-Banson, subsequent to the party's abandonment of the relief filed a fresh case and asked the Supreme Court to make a pronouncement on the matter.

The applicant and his lawyers have been asked to file their statement of case by 12:00 pm on Monday, June 22.

He is praying the court to grant an order directing that C.I.126 violates the provisions of article 42 and 45 of the 1992 Constitution to the extent that it excludes Birth Certificates issued to Ghanaians as a mode of identification and establishing qualification to be registered in the register of voters.

The plaintiff is also seeking similar relief for the voter ID card as well as a declaration that the Electoral Commission’s decision to compile a new register of voters is "inconsistent with and a violation of article 45(a) of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana."

The Apex court ordered the A-G to file their statement of the case also by Tuesday, June 23, 2020, and the parties will return to court on Wednesday, June 24, for hearing on the case.

The NDC said the majority of Ghanaians will be disenfranchised if the EC insists on using only the Ghana card and a valid passport as requirements for the new register.

According to the party, about two million of the country's population own a voters ID – a number which includes children not eligible to vote.